Good Heart

The man sits with one leg crossed on a rough timber bench, his left hand raised so a white bird can perch on the finger; a second bird has settled in the crook of the other arm. He wears a diamond-patterned waistcoat, a loose shirt and an ochre neckerchief, with a patch stitched at the knee. A folded cloth and a mug lie on the bench and a stick leans against the back. A bundle, a straw-covered flask and a basket stand on the flowered base.